State of Grace
by Blue Seidr
Summary: "But the pain had created something magnificent, the pieces melding together again in a wonderous mosaic that, like their love, like her, was wild and free and brave." A Leorai drabble.


**I'm on a Leorai roll, once again thanks to Taylor Swift's album _Red_.**

 **This oneshot is inspired by "State of Grace". Check it out and enjoy!**

One night, simply because he wanted to, Donnie had installed wireless video cameras at various spots around the city, tucked away in little nooks and crannies where they would be very hard to spot and unlikely to be discovered. He installed a few around their most frequent used paths to the surface, and even stuck one near Foot HQ, so if the need ever arose, they could spy on the comings and going of Shredder's henchmen.

All this was hooked up to a program Donnie had installed on each of their T-phones. With the touch of a button, one could watch various points around the city at any time of day with no one every being any the wiser.

Somehow, Leo didn't think Donnie had set up the cameras so Leo could spy on the streams of people that walked past Foot HQ every day, specifically one punk-style girl with black and blond hair who merged with the crowd so seamlessly.

Creepy? Absolutely, bordering on stalking sometimes. But Leo couldn't help it. He only ever saw her at night, shrouded by shadows with only the moon and streetlights to hint at her facial features. This way, Leo got to see his girl in daylight, lit up by the sun in a way the moon never could.

Everything around her was bright as well, moving by at blinding speeds as the busy streetful of people went on with their lives. Even though he was not there in person, he could feel the frantic energy that possessed the people of New York during the day, causing them to zoom and buzz, everything so uncertain and changing. And in that ever-changing sea that she stood in, Leo couldn't help but wonder if she was changing too.

Everything about them was so fragile, in a way. They walked on eggshells around each other, the ease of which everything could come crashing down weighing heavy on their minds. One wrong word, one slip up, and it would be over, one way or the other. Touch and go, Leo thought. It could either blossom into something beautiful, something Leo got hints of when they touched and felt and tasted, or fall apart in the worst way possible, leaving him bleeding and burning.

He had never expected to find anyone like this, someone who could send his whole world spinning and leave him grasping blindly. He didn't notice her until she was right on top of him, literally. Now, even if he never saw her again, he would forever be changed by this young woman.

She was silent in her movements, but she may as well have had a cannon announce her presence. She was someone you couldn't take your eyes off of when she allowed you to see her. And when he laid eyes on her, _oh_. All of his defenses melted away effortlessly. Nothing mattered anymore than being with her, being by her side, being one with her. He had found something to latch onto in the swirling world she had dumped him in, and he knew he could never let go, lest he be tossed back into that aybss.

When they were alone, stowed away in an apartment or tucked in the shadows of a rooftop, their slates were wiped clean. He was not Leonardo Hamato, second in command of the Hamato clan, and she was not Karai Oroku, second in command of the Foot clan. They were simply Leo and Karai, and nothing was anything but the fire that burned between them and bound blue eyes to amber.

She was not a completely good person, not the pure white that Leo felt like he was supposed to be and supposed to stand for. She was no saint, and Leo was very much aware of this. But she wasn't a sinnner, either, not completely black. She was a beautiful shade of gray, and Leo loved her, despite what anyone else may think. She lived on her own code of white and black, sitting firmly in the middle.

It hurt to be with her sometimes. She toyed with him and strung him along before finally giving in. His heart felt like it had been chopped into pieces and reassembled inside his chest. But the pain had created something magnificent, the pieces melding together again in a wonderous mosaic that, like their love, like _her_ , was wild and free and brave.

It was a whole new way of being when he was with her. A state of grace unlike any other he had experienced. And presented with the decision, Leo knew that he would fight to keep this, to stay with her. It was worth it. She was worth it, worth everything. Love was dangerous, sticky and ruthless in its game, but the love he had with her was good and right and real. He would never let that be taken from him. It was fate that brought them together, and he would die before he would let her be taken from him. They were right together, making him feel more alive than he was with anyone else.

She had come out of nowhere, pouncing on him and touching him to the very core. He would never be quite the same, thanks to her.

She lifted him to a state of grace that he never wanted to lose. The fight that he knew was inevitable was a worthwhile one, because in the ruthlessness and crushing game that was love, he had found her, and no matter what changed around them, how much anyone tried to hurt them, he would not let go. They had something good and right, shining under the light of the moon, and whatever happened in the busy city, they would be together in their state of grace.


End file.
